What to expect:
AT YOUR FAMILY PORTRAIT SESSION
I can't wait to get to meet you and your family. Please make sure you go over the provided information. You are able to go over this information with your family members, in which will help know what to expect before our session begins.
During our sessions i will tell you how to pose with prompts, I will play games with your children while I work around them to snap your photos.
So here we go, at the arrival of you session we will greet and I'll mention our game plan. We will start with your traditional "posed" images. These help up us warm up to each other and especially to your children. After we will look into more interactive posing.
Outdoor Sessions:
- Outdoor Sessions take place in hand selected locations. Most Sessions will take place during sunset. We may chase the sun.
- Please bring extra shoes or sandals in case there are muddy conditions or if you don't want to ruin your good shoes before and after a session.
- Considering that we we are outdoors, you may bring bug spray if you wish. There most likely be bugs. :)
- Also, If your session is in the afternoon consider having a sweater, jacket or cardigan, that goes with your outfit, in case there is colder weather.
Indoor Sessions:
- In home sessions take place in the morning or early afternoon for the best lighting.
- You are more than welcome to send me photographs of your home before I arrive or I can take a look around and spot the best locations with the light we need.
- You only need to declutter the areas of your home that we will be using.
- If you have any specific room requests or activities, please let me know ahead of time on your questionnaire
Essential Tips
- Questionnaire: Please make sure to fill out your questionnaire for me at least 1-2 months prior to your session date.
- Location: Unless your family session is taking place in your home, I always hold my outdoor family sessions at a location that I know and suggest. Let me know in the questionnaire if you have any special locations in mind! I will gladly consider it and advice you on what to wear according to your location.
- Screens (and children): PARENTS, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE keep your iPhone/iPad, etc. put away, unless you want to pretend it’s another member of the family. You may think waving the cell phone in front of little Johnny while he watches Elmo on YouTube is the sure fire way to get him to laugh, but most likely he will want to hold it himself (little Johnny is an independent boy, after all!) and will then enter the ‘zone out’ stage where he refuses to let that magical little device leave his death grip. Trust me, the 'distract them' with the screen almost ALWAYS backfires.
- Screens (and adults): With that being said, the majority of our time together you'll be very busy interacting with your children. However, if you want to take behind the scenes videos or photos, I would love to see them! Please only do so if it won't be a distraction to your children and if it's a photo showing off your experience. I love being able to share those on my social media accounts, so if you post it, tag me, or feel free to send it my way after the session so I can share it!
- Extended Family Members: Family sessions are for immediate family only. Please tell anyone who is not in your immediate family (aka Grandma and Grandpa) to stay home. No exceptions.
- Snacks: Please keep all snacks and bribes put away and ONLY take them out in the event of a true emergency. As in, nothing else is working and your kid is for real not having it. I am not above bribing, but again, unless you want the Teddy Grahams (and Blippi) a part of your family photos, try and keep them put away and save them as a post session reward snack.
- Basic Kid Prep: Kids should be well rested and fed BEFORE your session time. Tired and hungry kids are cranky, and nobody wants that during photos, right? Things happen, naps get cut short (and it’s always when you don’t want them too) so don’t panic if things don’t go as planned. Honestly, I get it. I just ask you do your best!
- When Children Just Won't Cooperate: In the event you have a child who ‘seriously ain’t having it’, take a deep breath. We can take a break for a few minutes, and try and figure out what the problem is. Some kids are fussier and want nothing to do with photos, and this is how they’ll be no matter what day we attempt a session. Others, if there is an issue, we can try and figure out what it is. Please refrain from disciplining your child during the session, unless it is necessary. Kids need reminders sometimes and can get a little wild in front of someone new. But, we want to try and not ‘sweat the small stuff’ during photos and get through this together to avoid any epic meltdowns.
- Sick Children: If your child is sick, please, please, cancel your appointment. I dislike rescheduling, as I I am sure you do, but I would MUCH rather reschedule if a little one is sick than have a crying, snotty nosed baby who feels and looks awful during your families photos! Kids get sick, it happens, and I do understand!